Tuesday, January 20, 2009

President Obama.

I haven't written very much about Barack Obama in my blog. It's hard for a hopeful yet cynical person to know what to say about him.

I have never been a sloganeer or a follower or a breathless believer in much of anything. I haven't trusted a politician since Gary Hart broke my 14-year-old heart in 1984.

So I don't have much use for "Yes, we can!" or for the people who seem to think that the minute Obama places his hand on the Bible, America will spring into glorious Technicolor, just like when Dorothy stepped out of her house into Oz. Nobody, and certainly no politician, has that kind of power in this country. Obama is taking on the presidency at a scary and dangerous moment, and most of his plans will fall under the twists and turns of forces and people outside his control.

But I did vote for him, and I am excited about today and I do like him. The main thing that makes me root for him to succeed is that he's my kind of person. He's a reader. He likes to think and talk about big ideas. He likes to look at all the different sides of a thing. He seems to take his life's responsibilities seriously. I just hope someone like that can succeed in today's Presidency.

The former President was the exact opposite of my kind of person. He could not have been more opposite. The only thing I kind of liked about him was that he could be a bit of a smartass. But since he was usually being a smartass about things that are important to me like...oh...war...and you know, the Constitution and stuff, I didn't fully appreciate that side of him, either.

Anyway, I'm pretty neutral about what Obama will be able to do--not quite pessimistic, not quite optimistic. More of a wait-and-see setting. The disappointments of the Clinton era are still a little too fresh in my mind for me to think that Obama will be able to enact many, if any, of the major changes he has in mind. I just hope he stays safe and healthy, that his wife and daughters thrive in their new life, and that we see some real cooperation and agreement in our government on where to go from here.

I watched pretty much every minute of the inauguration coverage from beginning to end and even came back later to see the dress the First Lady wore to the balls. This is the first time I've actually been involved, interested and excited about an election, President, etc. I saw history happen. That amazes me. It would have been even more momentous if we had a femal veep with him instead of Biden. There's something about Biden I don't like. What I do like about Obama is that he seems grounded -- human, approachable, humble... I loved when he told people to get to work. He just seems like someone you could hang out with. Now, I'm clicking my heels together and hoping for some sort of economic rebound that will help EVERYONE. EVERYONE. Not just the small business owners, single parents, etc. I want to see something for the struggling single person with no savings, no safety net, no earned income credit for the kids I had with men who skipped out, no rich relatives, no trust funds, no 401k, no steady infusion of investment dividends... ME. :)